


jupiter's got nothing on you

by lovecamedown



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ballet School AU, F/M, Falling In Love, Modern AU, Plot What Plot, Slow Burn, a really good dancer, and rey is surprised to find out that she is too, bless their souls, but in third person, finn is a dancer, from a prompt i got on tumblr, ish, like ages ago, my kids falling in love, pretty much from Rey's life POV, space kids but irl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-05-30 14:45:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6428449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovecamedown/pseuds/lovecamedown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey doesn't usually do things like this. She's never even though about going to a dance school before now. But going to the open evening, she wasn't expecting to see dancing that makes her feel alive; that makes her want to be alive. And she definitely wasn't expecting it to come in the form of this boy, who she's only just met but who's smiling at her like no one ever has, and suddenly he's teaching her how to dance, and they're feeling things they've never known before.</p><p>--</p><p>Or, a modern-setting Finnrey Ballet school AU :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. waking the inside of me

**Author's Note:**

> Helloooo!  
> This was requested/prompted to me on tumblr AGES ago, and I finally got the first chapter up! I mean, it's probably really rubbish, but the second part should be better:') I might come back to edit this part but I /really/ wanted to get this up so here ya go :)

She doesn’t normally do things like this. Usually, Rey’s days stay the same; nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that might disrupt the way of things.

Living in a foster home, with three other kids, in a pretty rough area and with a foster dad who drinks (a lot), and only cares about money and greed, Rey’s life is pretty much always the same. Day in, day out. Just doing the same old thing, with the same old people, in the same old place.

But when Rey saw a certain poster at the bus stop in town, she knew she had to go. It was advertising an open day for the performing arts school on the other side of the city from where she lives, and the picture on the front seemed to mesmerise her; a girl in a white tutu, a tiara on her head and shoes on her feet that made her legs look infinite in length. She looked stunning; moving, even. It made something rise in Rey’s heart.

Maybe it’s just the fact that she’s always known – or at least hoped – that there must be more out there for her; that somehow, someday, she’d find a way out of the life she’s leading now. And the picture of that ballerina with the words “open day!” scrawled across the front just made Rey think that maybe watching someone dance like that – someone do what they love – might shift the still, unmoving part of her life. Maybe it would let her feel something different.

So that’s why she’s getting on a bus to the city and then a bus to the school, using a portion of her small amount of pocket money for the trip, one summer afternoon. It’s hot out, the sun still beating down on her skin even though it’s lower in the sky. Her stomach rumbles and she presses an arm over it self-consciously, hoping that the sound won’t project to anyone else sitting on the bus.

Her foster dad (more like the guy who gets paid for giving her a roof), Mr Plutt, had no food for her that lunchtime, telling her she could either go out and work for it herself or just go hungry until dinner.

Rey hates Mr. Plutt.

She’s not really one to hate anyone, but this guy? He’s awful. He treats her like an object; something that needs to please him and just be there so he can get his money. But the foster system doesn’t care. All they care about is jumping through hoops for the government and, if she has a roof over her head and at least a little food in her stomach, they’ll give Mr. Plutt the money.

Rey wonders if anyone _, anywhere_ is really, truly happy in their foster homes. Sometimes, she lies awake at night, trying not to cry, hearing the sound of Plutt wandering around downstairs, occasionally the sound of a bottle breaking; and she wonders where her family are, why they gave her up, and if they’re ever coming back.

 

The performing arts school is _busy_.  
There are students everywhere, handing out flyers and big, friendly smiles to all of the potential parents and students that are wandering around with stars in their eyes.

Rey looks around in amazement. There are all these people here, looking happy and glowing and like they know where they belong in the world. The inside of the school is built around big, almost majestic columns, reaching all the way up to tall ceilings and creating archways along the edges of the rooms. Even the hallways are huge; bigger than Rey’s entire living room at home. She’s never seen somewhere so big or beautiful.

A girl with blonde hair, wearing a leotard and a skirt, hands Rey a leaflet with a smile on her face.

“Thanks,” Rey smiles politely, continuing to walk through the corridors, instinctively managing to dodge everyone in the large crowds as she reads the leaflet, seemingly without even trying. She admires the pictures on the leaflet and the curve of the script. Admires the way everyone looks happy and at home. Fit, healthy, _thriving_. She wonders what that feels like.  
Her stomach growls again.

Rey watches all the talks, listens to people speaking, watches the videos they show of performances. Her eyes are sparkling as she watches the students dance on the screen before her; they dance like it’s as easy as breathing to them; like it’s everything they need and want in life.  
Rey starts to wonder why she’s here. There’s no way she could ever do that. She could never get her leg that high, or push her shoulders down so far. She could never make things look so effortless or so passionate.

But she finds herself dreaming about it; about being like those people.

 

Hours later, once the busy crowds have died down, Rey is wandering through the corridors again, still amazed by the sights before her. Every time she looks, she sees something new.

There are still a few people looking around the school, but mostly it’s just students and staff, clearing up some of the rooms after the evening. It’s dark out now, Rey notices as she looks out one of the large, towering windows; she must have been here for hours.

But it’s nicer here than at her house, and Rey kind of just wants to stay.

Music catches her ears as she walks down one particularly quiet corridor. For a moment she frets that maybe she’s not supposed to be in this area, but then her thoughts cease and she stops dead in her tracks when she comes across the source of the music. It’s coming from a large dance studio to her right, one of the double doors open just a crack. Hesitantly, Rey peers around the wall to take a peek, praying that whoever it is doesn’t see her.

But she sees him.

He’s dancing. Gosh, is he _dancing_. She’s never seen anything like it; not up close, anyway. He moves to the music like it’s a part of him, like it’s an extension of his body. Every move flows in to the next one, just like talking. Rey isn’t sure exactly what kind of dance this is, but it’s _beautiful_ , and soft but meaningful, and she finds herself watching the way his muscles move under his black tank top every time he moves his arms and shoulders.

It’s a few minutes later that she realises she’s smiling, and for a moment she wonders why.

All that time he’d been facing away from her, but when the music stops he turns around, seemingly heading towards the CD player, and Rey’s head yells at her to turn and walk away before he sees her.

But she’s still so mesmerised by what she’s just seen, and she’s probably a little delusional from hunger, that she just can’t bring her legs to walk away.

And she regrets it instantly when the boy’s eyes glance at the door for a second. Her heart pounds in her chest, and when he does a double take, she knows he’s seen her.

But he doesn’t look mad or creeped out; instead, he just smiles at her, and Rey thinks she might just melt right there on the spot. He walks towards the door and opens it, still smiling at her, revealing his teeth.

He has a strong jaw line and chocolate skin, dark brown eyes, and his short hair comes to a neat stop just at the top of his forehead and around his ears. His skin is slightly damp with sweat, Rey notices; and then she realises that she must look _really_ creepy now because she’s just staring at him and not saying anything.

She looks back at his eyes. “Um…hi,” she says awkwardly. And instantly feels stupid for it.

“Hi,” he says. His voice is deep. Rich. _Velvet_. “Can I help you?” He asks, and to Rey’s surprise, he sounds like he actually means it.

“Um…no,” Rey says nervously, “I just…I just heard the music and uh…saw you dancing. I don’t know why I didn’t just turn and walk the other way. I guess it was just, um…well. I’m sorry. You can kick me out if you want. But it was…it was really good.” She’s trying to smile, but she’s just so _nervous_ right now that she can barely keep her voice from shaking, let alone release a genuine smile.

He smiles at her again, and he leans on the door frame casually. “Are you here for the open evening?”

Rey’s response is a nod.

“Cool,” he smiles, and she could tell he really thought so. “So…how much of that did you see? My dance, I mean? I mean, it’s not…it’s not perfect. I’ve sort of just started working on it.…”

Her eyebrows rise before she gives them permission. “ _That_ was something you’ve only just started?”

The boy smiles, and it looks a little embarrassed; maybe even bashful. Seeing him smile at her like that makes Rey feel a little more at ease. He’s not going to yell at her or tell her to stop creeping around, so that’s a plus, she thinks.

“Yeah,” he laughs a little.

“Wow,” Rey says before thinking. “It was…it was _great_.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you,” he shows his teeth in a grin again, and Rey can’t take her eyes off him. “So…do you dance?”

“What? Oh, um, no. No, I’ve um…I’ve never danced before. I wish I could, though.”

“Yeah?”

Rey nods once. “Yeah.”

“So what are you hoping to study here?” he pushes himself off the door frame and heads over to the speakers again, reaching for a bottle of water. Rey isn’t really sure what to do, because he’s still talking to her but now she can’t see him; so she takes a tentative step in to the studio and takes a moment to look around.

“Um…,” she stammers, “…I’m not sure. I just…I came to see what it’s like here.”

“And?”

Rey looks back to him and frowns. “What?”

“And…? What _is_ it like here?” He’s grinning at her again.

“Oh, um…yeah. It’s…it’s nice. I don’t think I’d fit in though.” She laughs nervously.

“Why not?”

“I can’t dance, remember?”

“Well, just because you haven’t danced before, it doesn’t mean you _can’t_ dance. You just have to try.”

“I’d embarrass myself.”

Smiling, he takes another sip of his water. “No you wouldn’t.”

“Trust me. I would.”

And then the boy chuckles. And Rey is pretty sure that it’s the best sound she’s ever heard.

“What’s your name?” He asks after a few moments of silence.

Rey looks slightly surprised that he’s asked her this, but she lets out a tiny, shy smile anyway. “I’m Rey.”

His lips twitch up at the corners. “Rey…,” he repeats, his smile growing just a little. It does something to Rey’s insides. “I’m Finn.”

For a moment, Rey isn’t sure what to say. She smiles again and thinks back to what she’d seen him do minutes ago; how he’d danced.

“So…how did you do that thing earlier? That move where you, like…brought your leg up and then kicked it around behind you? That was really cool.” Rey says, and she’s surprised at how casual she sounds. Talking to people isn’t really her forté, but, somehow, with Finn, it seems really natural.

“Oh, you mean this?” Putting down his water bottle, Finn moves in to the centre of the room and brings his leg out in front of him before bringing it around to the side and then behind him, all whilst somehow simultaneously managing to jump in the air.

Rey watches in amazement. “Yeah. That.”

“It’s easier than it looks. It’s all about leaving the opposite shoulder behind.”

She frowns. “Huh?”

Finn grins and chuckles, walking over to her. “Sorry, that probably sounds really weird. I mean it metaphorically.”

“Still not following.”

He laughs good-heartedly again. Rey makes a mental note of the sound. “I can show you, if you’d like.”

Rey looks surprised, and she holds her hands up in front of her. “No, no, no…I really don’t think I’d be able to do that. I’ve never danced before, let alone done…that.”

He grins at her. “Well…I can show you some other stuff, if you’d like me to. You seem to want to learn how to dance, so…”

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want to bother you or waste your time. I’m fine, really. Thank you though.” She starts to walk away, but Finn steps up behind her and gently takes a hold of her wrist.

Rey flinches at the contact but doesn’t continue walking, and as soon as she stops, Finn lets her go.

“No, really, I don’t mind,” he says genuinely, smiling softly at her. “It’s not wasting my time at all. It’s a Friday night and I’m here at 7pm, on my own, in the studio. It’s not like I have a life.”

For a moment Rey frowns, but then she realises he’s joking. Her face splits in to a grin, and Finn’s face seems to light up at that.

“Me neither,” Rey giggles. Finn makes a promise to himself that he’s going to try and hear that sound as much as possible.

“Okay. Come on, then. Let’s start at the barre.”

 “But—” Rey stops him from walking away “—I’m…I’m not wearing the right stuff.”

Finn looks her up and down for a moment. She’s wearing black cropped leggings, a beige top and some black, tattered Converse trainers.

“You’re fine,” he says. “Just take your shoes off, and you’re good to go.”

Rey bites her lip but does as he says and follows him over to the barre at one side of the room. “Are you sure this is okay?”

“Of course.”

A small smile twitches on Rey’s lips as she realises that, really, there isn’t anything in this for him; he’s doing it just because she’d said she’s always wanted to dance. And that makes a happiness grow inside her; one that makes her forget the growling in her stomach.

“Okay,” Finn walks over to the speakers again. Rey watches him from behind, slightly nervous. “We’ll start with the basics. You’ve never danced at all before, right?”

“I maybe did one or two classes when I was three? I don’t know. I can’t really remember.”

* * *

Rey doesn’t know how late it is, but she’s tired and really hungry, and if she looks out the window she can see the moon in the dark sky. But she’s happy. She’s actually _happy_. Her body feels tired and it hurts in places she didn’t even know she had muscles, but the smile on her face seems to be plastered there, and the beads of sweat on her forehead aren’t even bothering her. Mainly because Finn’s forehead is beaded with sweat too, and the smile on his face mirrors hers, and something about it just makes her feel good.

“Thank you,” Rey says as she watches him gather up his things. “I…really had fun.”

Finn grins at her. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m glad,” he smiles, throwing his hoody over his shoulder and heading towards Rey. “I mean, if you want…we could make this a weekly thing. If you enjoy it this much then, well, it can’t exactly be a bad move, can it?”

Rey wants to smile at this offer, but instead her face falls just a little. She frowns, looking away for a moment. “I can’t.”

“What? Why not?” He seems genuinely disappointed. Rey can’t help but look back up at him.

Her cheeks blush a shade of crimson. She shrugs shyly. “Well…I don’t exactly have any money.”

Finn frowns. “No, Rey—I meant…just…this. Like tonight. It’s on me.”

Frowning in surprise, Rey blinks at him. “What? Really?”

“Yeah.”

There’s a moment of silence. Rey is frowning at him still, but it’s more in amazement; she can’t believe what she’s hearing right now. “Why would you do that for me?”

He shrugs. Then he smiles at her, and she swears the look in his eyes has changed. It’s softer, somehow. Like his eyes are shining. “I know potential when I see it,” he says. “And, besides, it might be nice for me to have some company here on a Friday night.” He grins, and Rey can’t help but smile in return.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m absolutely, one hundred percent sure,” and then he seems to realise how keen that sounded, and he coughs awkwardly, looking away for a moment. “I mean, um…yeah. It’d be alright. I guess. I suppose I could tolerate it.”

Rey giggles. “You’re funny, Finn,” she says. “You make me laugh.”

Finn refrains from telling her that he likes it when she laughs.

“And thank you,” Rey continues. “I’ve never met anyone like you before. I mean…you know. Someone who would go out of their way to be nice for me, even when there’s nothing in it for you.”

Finn smiles. “It’s no problem, Rey. Really. I could do with some teaching experience anyway,” he flashes her another grin. “So…7pm? Next Friday?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

“Awesome. Shall I walk you out?”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

“Well, we’re going in the same direction, so…,”

“Okay. Sure, then.”

They walk through the school after Finn turns out the lights of the studio and shuts the door behind them. Finn makes conversation easily, and Rey responds easily, and soon finds herself not wanting to walk away when they get outside.

“Which way are you headed?” Finn asks, smiling down at her.

“Just down the road to the bus stop. You?”

Sheepishly, he points over his shoulder with his thumb, in the opposite direction to Rey.

“Oh,” Rey says, but she’s still smiling a little. “Okay. Well…I’ll see you next week then, yeah?”

Finn nods. “Can’t wait.”

“You’re sure it’s okay for you to do this for me?”

“Rey,” Finn says gently, and he tilts his head to the side a little. The way he says her name just makes Rey melt inside and she’s not sure she’s ever felt this feeling before. “I wouldn’t have offered if it wasn’t something I wanted to do.”

Rey smiles. “Okay,” she says. “Well, I’ll see you later.”

“You sure you’ll be okay getting home? It’s late.”

She laughs a little, almost to herself; he really has no idea of the fact that taking the bus to the roughest area in the city at this time of night is something she’s grown up around. For a moment she debates telling him this, but then decides against it, and she nods. “I’ll be fine. Trust me.”

“Alright. See ya, Rey.” He waves and starts walking off.

“Bye.” Rey says, but her voice is quiet, and she’s not sure if he hears her or not. For a tiny moment she watches him walk away, but then she turns towards the bus stop, and she doesn’t look back.


	2. I no longer have this fear of heights

“Where are you going?” One of Rey’s foster siblings asks her as she heads towards the front door. He’s called Charlie and he’s six, Rey is pretty sure, and he’s only been here a couple months. Every time a new kid comes in to this house, Rey feels sorry for them. They’re the unlucky ones. And she’s not sure why, but she always feels like it should be up to her to try and make their lives here a little better; after all, she wishes she’d had someone older to look out for her when she was young.

“None of your business,” Rey says, but she’s smiling at him, and Charlie pokes his tongue out at her. 

“It’s not nice to be rude.”

“It’s not nice to be nosy. Or stick your tongue out. Put that away.” She reaches out and ruffles his hair, and he playfully pushes her away.

“Will you be back late?” Charlie asks. “Will you read me a story?”

Rey smiles sadly at him. “I don’t know, Charlie. I might be back after you go to bed. Maybe another night though, yeah?”

Charlie nods, but he seems disappointed. “Okay.”

Rey starts towards the door, pulling her rucksack further up her shoulders. But then she stops and turns back to Charlie. “Have you eaten?” She asks. “It’s almost dinner time.”

Charlie shakes his head. “No. Mr. Plutt said we’re having dinner late tonight.”

Sighing through her nose, Rey pulls out her house keys. “Okay. I’ll see you later, Charlie.”

 

Rey’s bus takes ten minutes longer than usual and, by the time she reaches the studio, it’s already five thirty. Her stomach rumbles; she didn’t have time to grab something to eat earlier.

But the sight of Finn in the studio, bending over to fiddle with the CD player, makes her face light up a little.

“Hey,” she says, closing the door behind her.

Finn stands up straight. He grins at her. “Hi, you.”

“Sorry I’m late.” Rey apologises. She puts her bag down by the door and tentatively steps towards him.

“It’s alright. You’re not that late.”

“My bus was slower than usual.”

“It’s fine, Rey. Shall we get started?”

Rey nods and slips her shoes off, leaving them by her bag.

“Are you warm?”

She frowns, confused. “What?”

Finn smiles. Rey isn’t sure why. “Are your muscles warmed up? Or do we need to jog on the spot for a minute?”

“Oh, um, I don’t know,” she frowns again. “What does warm feel like?”

Pressing his lips together, Finn looks as though he’s trying to suppress a laugh. His eyes are telling a different story, though; he doesn’t look at her in an amused way. It’s almost like his eyes are smiling at her. She’s never seen anyone look at her like this before. So…softly.

“Okay, we’ll just start with some easier stuff to get you warm. I don’t know how to explain how ‘warm’ feels,” he chuckles.

Rey smirks. “I told you I was uneducated.”

He grins at her, plugging his iPod in to the speakers. “Isn’t that why we’re here?”

 

A few minutes later, they’re standing at the barre doing pliés, Finn facing Rey so he can watch her.

“Turn out your legs more,” he says as Rey bends down in to her plié in second position.

Rey shifts her foot so it’s pointing more outwards and looks to his face for confirmation that she’s done it right, but he only frowns.

“No, make sure you turn out from your hips.”

Rey frowns. She’s so confused that she misses the beat for the tendu in to third position, and Finn reaches out with the controller to stop the music. “Huh?” Rey asks. “Is that even natural?”

Chuckling, Finn walks the few steps towards her. “Here. I’ll show you. What you’re doing is gonna hurt your knees. You have to do it like this—” …and it’s just a split second; just a tiny, tiny touch. He barely even brushes the fabric of her leggings on her legs. He didn’t even think about it (although, in hindsight, maybe he should have), but Rey steps right back and pulls her leg away from him, her brow furrowing deeply.

Finn looks up at her and frowns. “Whoa, hey, Rey, it’s okay,” he says. “I was just correcting your alignment.”

“Okay, well, could you do it without touching me?” She says indignantly, her eyebrows raised. Finn eyes her for a moment. “I don’t need you to do that.” Rey adds. He chews on his bottom lip. Then he holds up his hands in surrender and steps back, shaking his head a little.  
“Okay, okay. Fine. I’ll just have to…try and show you some other way.”

Rey huffs, and she steps back from him even further. Her hands come up to rub the tops of her arms, almost like an anxious gesture, and her eyes are shifting all over the room; looking anywhere but back at him.

Finn is about to play the music again, but he notices her body language and pauses for a moment. “Are you okay?” He asks, and his voice is so soft, so gentle, that it startles Rey.

She looks up at him. “I’m fine,” and she sounds sure, “I just don’t need you to touch my knees to tell me where to put them. OK?”

“Okay.”

Her face is hard and guarded. “Okay. Good. Fine. Let’s just…go again.”

For a moment he hesitates, but then takes his place at the barre once more and watches as Rey does the same. “Okay,” and just as he’s about to press play on the controller, he takes a breath to speak. “Hey, Rey?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just how I’m usually corrected in class. I…I should’ve checked it was okay first. I’m really sorry.”

Rey’s features remain the same for a number of seconds (seconds that seem like _minutes_ to Finn). But then her lips break in to a tiny smile, and her expression seems to soften slightly; she almost looks surprised. Nicely surprised, Finn thinks. “It’s okay.” She says quietly, and Finn can tell she means it.

Somehow, hours pass again, and they’re not quite sure how time can fly so quickly.

“Finn!” Rey exclaims excitedly before she can stop herself, “did you see that!?”

Finn turns around from his place at the speakers. “See what?”

“You missed it. I don’t think I can do it again.”

“What was it?”

“I thought I would try a turn before we finish. And I did one! A pirouette, I think it’s called?”

“Wow, Rey, that’s great! Could you do it again so I can see?”

Rey pulls her lips together and shrugs. “I don’t think I could do it again even if I tried.”

“Ah, but see, that’s the secret to pirouettes,” Finn smiles, and he puts down his iPod before walking back over to her. “You can only try up to a point. The rest of the time you just have to trust yourself, and just…well, turn.”

Rey screws up her nose. “Really? I don’t think it’s quite that easy.”

“I didn’t say it was easy. But it’s simple.”

She looks at him dubiously for a moment, and he raises his eyebrow, almost like a challenge. And then they start to giggle a little, and the poker faces are broken.

“Look, let’s try it again,” Finn moves his hands up towards her shoulders, about to gently turn her around, but then he pulls them away again, remembering her reaction to being touched before. Rey smiles at him a little before turning back to the mirror. “Go. Try it.”

“It won’t work.”

“Try it anyway.”

Looking dubious, Rey gets in to the preparation position and holds her arms out in front of her. Then she pushes off in to the turn to the right, bringing her right foot up to her left knee as she spins. But halfway there she falls out of it and makes a frustrated noise as she stops, slapping her hand against her face.

“See! I told you I could only do it once.”

“You need to use your plié. It’ll help you turn fully. And you need to spot.”

“I need to _what_?”

Finn chuckles. “Maybe we should save pirouettes for next week. They were never my strong point, let alone when I was just a beginner like you.”

Rey sighs. “I suppose I am pretty tired.”

“I’m _hungry_.”

“Me, too.” Rey smirks to herself. It’s humourless. He has no idea.

“What time is it?”

Checking her watch, Rey begins to walk over to her bag. “Just gone half seven.”

“I…don’t suppose you want to grab some dinner before you head home? There’s this place across the road which makes the most _amazing_ pizza…,”

Rey’s eyes light up at the prospect, and her lips spread in to a tiny smile, but then her face falls. “I…can’t. I’d love to, but I…I didn’t bring any money with me.”

“Well, I sort of meant that _I_ could take you out for dinner. You know. Where I pay. It’s on me.… My money…,” Finn is trying to get her to catch on, but she’s just looking at him like she doesn’t understand what on earth he’s talking about.

“You…you would pay for my dinner?” She asks, and she seems so baffled by this that Finn frowns a little.

“Yeah,” he says, so lightly, as if it’s no big deal.

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

Finn grins. “Actually,” he says, and there’s a glint in his eyes, “I’m pretty sure I’m the one asking you.”

* * *

They eat until it’s pretty late – after nine, Rey thinks it must be now – and Finn offers to walk her to the bus stop. She doesn’t say no this time.

He takes her on a route through a park, thinking it’d be nicer than the street; but it turns out that the park is dark and cold and very empty. They walk relatively close to each other, and Finn smiles every time her arm brushes against his, and he’s really not sure why.

The park is empty until they turn in to the little alley that leads to the gate. A guy comes towards them, all dark clothes and shadowy face, and he sneers slowly as he catches sight of Finn and Rey.

He exhales through pursed lips, smirking, just a few feet away from them now, and soon he’s speaking words to Rey that should never be said out loud. It’s crude and disgusting and Finn frowns as they try to just walk past him; but he follows, keeping in to step with them beside Finn, sneering over towards Rey and still uttering comments, trying to get under Rey’s skin.

Finn looks to Rey, but she just rolls her eyes and keeps walking, gaze down on the pavement below them. He frowns, looking up at the guy. “Look, man, _stop_ ,” Finn says sternly. He stops walking, and so does Rey.

“Finn, just leave it,” Rey tells him.

The boy’s eyes come to Rey and he sneers again. “Oh, the things I would do to her…,” he turns to Finn, “hey, man, why are you out here in the park and not somewhere a little more private with your hands, you know—” he reaches out towards Rey and Finn steps forward, grabbing the boy’s arm in his hand.

“ _Stop_ ,” Finn insists, making eye contact with the boy. Rey looks at Finn and, even though he’s looking right at this person, and he’s making physical contact as though he’s confident, she can see the fear in his eyes.

“Oh yeah?” The boy smirks, and a ridiculously arrogant laugh comes out of his lips. He turns to Finn, pushing his hand off his own arm and stepping towards him. “Who’s gonna make me?” He asks. “You gonna make me? Are you? Come on, man, who’s gonna make me stop?”

Finn swallows. Rey watches him for just one moment before she sighs shortly. _Enough of this_ , she thinks.

“I am.”

And then her fist meets the idiot’s face within seconds and he’s been forced backwards, almost stumbling completely to the floor, and his hand is on his face, now sporting a little blood.

Finn turns to Rey, eyes wide, mouth hanging open ever so slightly. He sees Rey roll her eyes, and then she surprises him by reaching out and pulling on his hand. “Come on,” she says casually, as if she _hasn’t_ just punched someone in the face like it was completely natural to her. (She lets go of his hand as soon as he starts walking, though, and Finn finds himself feeling stupidly disappointed).

“Rey—you—you just—how did you—”

Folding her arms over her chest, Rey rolls her eyes. “Use your words, Finn.”

Just as Finn is about to speak again, footsteps run up behind them and the same boy grabs Finn by the shoulders, violently turning him around to face him.

“ _Oh no_ , no way did your _girl_ friend just punch me in the face! A girl!? Really!?” He yells, practically spitting on Finn’s face.

Rey pushes Finn out of the way. She raises one eyebrow. “Oh yeah?” She challenges. “Would you like me to do it again?”

The boy laughs cockily again. He brings his hand up to wipe the remaining blood from his nose and sneers at her. “I’d like to see you try, sweet cheeks. That first one was a fluke.”

Finn tries to step in, but Rey only gives the boy a second longer to step closer before she punches him again, and then she knees him in between his legs, sending him right down to the floor this time.

Rey walks away without taking Finn’s hand. He follows. He’s turning back every second, glancing wildly back and forth between the back of Rey’s head and the boy who is now rolling on the floor, holding himself and groaning in pain.

“Rey,” Finn finally talks, “what—where did you learn to fight!?”

Shrugging, Rey keeps her eyes straight ahead. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just how I grew up. I had to know that stuff to survive.”

He’s silent, so she turns around to face him, frowning curiously. She finds that he’s grinning incessantly, and she rolls her eyes.

“What?” She asks. “Why are you grinning like an idiot?”

“That was so badass, Rey! You’re _so_ badass!”

Laughing, Rey playfully nudges him in the arm with her elbow. “Shut up. Let’s just go.”

“Can I take you with me all the time when I’m walking through a dark park?”

When she laughs again, Finn decides that it might be his favourite sound.

* * *

Rey gets home past ten; her bus was late. But she didn’t really mind because Finn had insisted on waiting with her even after she assured him she would be fine, and they’d spent twenty minutes talking; _really_ talking, not just getting in a few little conversations in between dancing. Finn had put her number in to his phone and, as soon as the bus drove away from the stop, he texted her.

She’s still texting him when she walks in the front door. It’s ridiculous, really; they’re not even talking about anything that important. But all she knows is that she just wants to keep texting him, because he makes her laugh, and she smiles every time her phone lights up with his name on it.

“You were right,” a familiar voice says as Rey steps in to the living room, heading towards the stairs. “You are home late.”

Turning towards the voice, she sees Charlie sitting on an armchair, the TV on and playing cartoons behind him.

“Why are you awake?” Rey asks, frowning. “It’s almost half past ten!”

Charlie shrugs. “Mr. Plutt let me stay up late because we ate dinner late. There’s some food still out on the table that I saved for you.”

Rey smiles. For a moment she turns her attention to her stomach, and she realises that she’s not hungry; in fact, she feels full. It’s a nice feeling, she muses. (But she still heads to the dining table and picks up the food, eating it without question).

“Thanks,” heading back in to the living room, Rey smiles at Charlie and ruffles his hair. Her mouth is full, her spare hand holding food. “Alright. I’m going to bed. You should too.”

“You’re not eating the rest of your dinner?”

“Of course I am. I’m taking it up with me. Come on,” she gestures with her hand towards the stairs. “Bed time.”

Charlie frowns at her as he gets up. “What happened to your fist?”

“What?”

“Your fist,” reaching out, he takes her hand and holds up her fist. “It’s all red.”

“Oh,” she bites her lip. “It’s…it’s nothing, Charlie. Don’t worry about it. I’ll read you a story?”

Charlie’s face lights up and he charges up the stairs, leaving Rey behind with a small smile on her face.

 

Her phone vibrates in her pocket, and she looks at it before following Charlie.

She can’t believe how much she smiles at mere texts.

* * *

Another week passes. Rey finds herself looking forward to Friday nights, and it’s a nice feeling; she can’t remember the last time she felt excited for something like this. It keeps her going all week; knowing that at the end of the week she’s going to get to go in to that dance studio, and spend two hours with Finn. With brown eyes, short curly hair, and a smile that makes _her_ smile. (Seriously. She can’t help but smile when he does. It’s infectious.)

“I have a surprise for you,” Finn says, a grin lighting up his face. Rey turns to him from her place at the barre; she’s been in here waiting for ten minutes, and the sight of him makes her smile. (Of course).

“Hello to you too,” she says, turning around and leaning against the barre with her elbows.

He grins. “Just give me a sec. I need to go and get it.”

“Mysterious.” Rey smirks.

“It’s how I roll.”

Moments later he returns carrying a cardboard box, and he kicks the studio door shut with his foot before putting the box down on the floor.

Frowning curiously, Rey heads over to him. “What’s that?”

He doesn’t say anything; he just reaches over and opens it up, revealing a box full of pink canvas ballet shoes, all different shapes and sizes.

Rey’s eyes light up. “What’s this for?”

“You wouldn’t believe how many shoes the dancers here go through,” Finn tells her. She crouches down to his level. “This is just one of the supply boxes. They won’t notice one pair missing.”

“Wait, Finn, you’re not going to steal some for me—”

“It’s not stealing. The ballet shoes could easily be for me. I’m just giving you a pair of mine.”

Rey smiles. “I thought male dancers didn’t wear pink shoes.”

He shrugs, flashes her a grin, and starts to take the shoes out one by one. “You thought wrong.”

He lets her try on a few pairs, and eventually they find some that fit just right.

“Go on then,” Finn says, pushing himself up from the floor. “Show me your best tendu in your new shoes.”

Rey can’t help the grin on her lips, and she points her foot out to the side.

“Those _feet_ ,” Finn admires, smiling. “They are a genetic gift.”

Rey laughs. “What is it with you and my foot arch?”

“It’s every dancer’s dream to have one like that.”

“That’s weird.”

“I know. But it’s true.”

She laughs again, and Finn smiles at her. “Ready to get started?”

Rey nods. “Definitely.”

“I was thinking,” Finn starts as they head towards the barre. “We should choreograph a dance. It might be fun to have something to aim for. You know; a finished dance. Not just exercises.”

“That sounds terrifying.”

“Life begins outside of your comfort zone, Rey.”

She stares dubiously at him, and he grins in return, getting in to his position, one hand on the barre.

“That was really cheesy.” Rey tells him after a moment.

“It’s how I roll. You should know that by now.”

Playfully, Rey rolls her eyes. She’s absently rolling her ankles on the floor, warming them up as they talk, and he’s doing the same. Warming up has become a routine for her now; she knows what it means, and she actually enjoys it.

“But seriously, I think learning a full dance would be fun. I have some good music for it.”

“You mean like, a dance with just me?”

Finn ducks his head just a little and shrugs. He’s flexing his feet up and down, staring at them now. “Well, it’s up to you. You could do that, or it could be a dance…you know. Together. A pas de deux.”

Rey pulls her lips together. She tries not to smile as she feels a little heat pricking at her cheeks. “That might be cool.”

Finn makes a terrible job of hiding his grin. “Really?”

“We could try it.”

He’s not even trying to hide it now. “Awesome!” he exclaims, and then clears his throat, awkwardly scrubbing at the back of his neck with his hand. “I mean, um—yeah. That’s cool.”

“Cool.”

“Just…,”

“…Just what?”

Finn looks away, and he looks hesitant.

She frowns at him, turning all the way to the barre but keeping her eyes on him. “Finn? What is it?”

“Nothing, it’s just…there’s one thing about pas de deux. Something I think you won’t like about it. Maybe you should do a solo.…”

“What’s the thing I won’t like?”

“Well…it just…it involves touching. You know. Not like, in a bad way, just because the whole point of pas de deux is a dance of two people, but one body, so you have to be close. Holding hands, holding each other up, that sort of thing. And I…well, I completely understand if you don’t want to do that. I know it’s not your thing.”

Rey stares at him. He’s still not looking at her, and he looks nervous. The tiniest, barely-there hint of a smile twitches at the corner of her lips. She hadn’t thought about the body-contact side of dancing with another person, but she’s touched that he considered the fact she doesn’t usually like it; and, to be honest, if she was going to be dancing with anyone, she’d want to dance with Finn. She doesn’t trust him completely (she’s never trusted anyone _completely_ ), but she trusts him more than anyone else. And that realisation suddenly dawns on her as he tentatively looks back at her face, waiting for her reaction. She smiles softly. “Finn, I…I appreciate you warning me about it. I…well. I think we should give it a try.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m…getting used to things. The idea of dancing with another person isn’t as terrifying as it would’ve been when we started. At least…not with you, anyway.”

Finn’s face softens – it almost _melts_ – and he smiles so softly, so gently. “Really?”

She nods once. “Yeah.”

“That’s…that’s really nice to hear, Rey.”

“In a crazy turn of events, I seem to have started to trust you a little. I know, it’s mad. I know.”

Finn chuckles. “You trust me?”

“A bit,” she admits shyly, “…well, more than I trust anyone else.” _And I’ve never done this telling-people-how-I-feel thing either_ , Rey thinks to herself.

Finn’s smile widens, but it’s still gentle. He’s looking at her with such a soft, caring look in his eyes, and she can’t take her gaze off him.

His arm twitches forward at his side, and then he brings it back again, as if he’s thought better of it. But Rey just looks down at it and then reaches out, very loosely taking it in her own hand. She squeezes lightly. Finn looks down at their hands and smiles before looking back up at her. He squeezes back.

She doesn’t know what _this_ is. She doesn’t know why she’s feeling like this. Why she feels she can _trust_ Finn. 

But he’s good. He has a good heart. And Rey wants to know his heart more.

She knows that much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Yay for Rey starting to trust Finn! :D and also yay for cute, respecting and kinda shy Finn bc yes, i love 
> 
> So I'm hoping to update this story once a week on Friday, but like, don't hold me to that too much :P  
> I hope you liked this chapter! Do let me know what you think in the comments, and give me a good ol' kudos if you enjoyed it :)  
> Love :* xxx


	3. your hand is mars

Rey isn’t sure how it’s been three months since she first met Finn and started dancing; the time has gone so fast. And it feels good, for time to have passed quickly, and for her to have enjoyed that time; it’s never happened to her before. But she likes it.  

She’s not entirely sure, but she thinks that maybe, just maybe, Finn is her friend.

He always asks her about her day, and he makes her laugh, and he’s constantly asking if she’s okay. They’ve been working on their dance together, and it’s one of the most fun things Rey has ever done. Dancing with someone else is different to dancing alone. It’s the first time she’s ever done something with someone else; someone she can trust, at least. He picks her up like she weighs nothing, and they started working on a complicated lift a few weeks ago that has taken a lot of practice.

Finn always walks her to the bus stop after they’re finished, nowadays. And sometimes, just sometimes, she’ll reach out and hold his hand, and he’ll twist it so their fingers are entwined between each other’s, and Rey’s heart will do something funny inside of her chest.

She still doesn’t like him to touch her to correct her dancing. But, for some reason, when they’re dancing and he has to touch her to hold her up, she doesn’t mind it. She doesn’t mind him being close. In fact, she actually _wants_ him to be, a lot of the time.

And they don’t just hang out in the studio anymore. Every few weeks he takes her out for dinner. Or, sometimes, they meet up in the middle of the week and go for a walk in the park.

Which is what they’re doing now; one Tuesday evening, Finn and Rey are strolling through the park in the middle of the city. There’s a pond in the centre with a fountain that creates a constant sound of running water, and there are ducks that waddle around asking for food. At dusk, when the sun is just setting, there don’t seem to be many people in the park. And the ones who are there are just passing through from one place to another.

Finn and Rey find themselves sitting in the middle of the grass, leaning back on their hands and looking up at the slowly darkening sky. It’s still light out, but the sky’s shade of blue is no longer bright. There are birds soaring above them, and Rey sees the first star beginning to appear.

“Look!” She says, smiling and pointing to the sky. “I can see the first star.”

Finn smiles, too. (But it’s mainly just because of how excited she is). “It’s beautiful.”

“I love the stars.”

“Me, too.”

Rey shuffles ever so slightly closer to him, crossing her arm that’s behind her over his. Finn smiles to himself. He likes it when she does this; when she voluntarily gets closer to him. He never tries anything like that with her, because he’s never quite sure what her reaction will be, but he fully accepts when she does it to him.

“Come on,” Finn stands up minutes later, brushing off the back of his trousers with his hand. He holds out his hand for Rey. “Let’s dance.”

“Here?” Rey frowns up at him.

“Yeah. You’ve been getting too comfortable in the studio. It’s good to dance elsewhere. And, besides, I’ve always wanted to pas de deux in the park at dusk.”

Smirking, Rey gingerly takes his hand and lets him help her up. “That’s your dream?”

“My life’s ambition.” He’s grinning at her, and she laughs, shaking her head and looking down for a moment. Her hand isn’t in his anymore, but she looks back at him, still smiling softly. His smile softening, Finn steps back slightly. He bows just a little, offering his hand again. He’s gazing playfully at her from under his eyelashes.

“You’re serious right now?” She asks, incredulous.

“I’ve never been more serious in my entire life, Rey. I told you. This is my dream.”

Rey laughs again. Finn grins. He’s still holding his hand out for her, and she’s just staring at him, biting down on her bottom lip with a smile twitching at the corners. Finn bites his lip, too.

Finally giving in, Rey rolls her eyes and steps forward, taking his hand. He grins and they start to dance, his hands coming down on to her waist to support her and hers held gracefully above her head. She’s smiling, and he’s smiling. They don’t need music for this to be perfect.

“Maintain your turnout,” Finn mutters lowly, just inches from her ear as Rey starts in to a developpé derriere, her leg extending out behind her slowly. His hands are on her waist, steadying her, and he’s watching her face from the side. Her features are straight in concentration, but he’s smiling at her.

“Nice,” he says, still smiling. Rey turns to him for a moment and smiles too. Then she brings her leg down in to the next move which takes her away from Finn and in to a turn, her arms above her head and eyes on the sky. “Beautiful.” He comments. They both know this dance like the back of their hands now; even more so when they decide to cut out the hard lifts, and then it’s just as easy as breathing. And Finn notices that Rey’s technique is improving a _lot_ ; she looks like she’s been dancing for years, not just months.

Holding out his hand, Finn smiles as she takes it again and begins to spin in to his arm, linking her other hand with his when she gets to him. He dips her backwards, supporting her weight and marking the end of the dance. When he lifts her back up again she’s smiling. Ear-to-ear, her eyes it up happily.

They’re a little out of breath, but neither of them notices, because their faces are so close and their eyes are locked on to each other’s. Finn is almost pressed right up against her. His lips release a small smile.

“How did I do?” Rey asks quietly.

“It was…great, Rey. You’re doing so well.” His eyes sparkle in to hers. Rey smiles as an answer.

Silence comes upon them, but it’s a gentle silence. A silence that doesn’t need to be filled. The only sound is their breathing, gradually slowing down to a normal pace, and Rey can hear her beating heart inside her ears. His hands are still on her waist. Hers are on his shoulders, steadying herself.

Finn looks hesitant, suddenly, because Rey is slowly – so, so slowly – leaning in closer to him. Her eyes flicker down to his lips for just a tiny moment, and his do the same to hers. It could happen. She could kiss him right here, right now. With just a jolt forward of her head, her lips could be on his. And she has a feeling that he wouldn’t stop her.

But just as her face gets centimetres from his, she stops abruptly, her breath hitching in her throat.

She’s not ready.

“Um, I…,” she stammers, pulling her head back but not her body. Finn’s face looks a little disappointed, but he’s still smiling. Rey clears her throat awkwardly. “…I can see why you’ve always wanted to dance in a park now.”

He grins. “Yeah?”

Nodding, Rey smiles a little. “Yeah.” And then, after a moment, she seems to snap back in to reality. She steps back from him and clears her throat.

“You okay?” He asks gently.

“Mhmm, yeah, I’m fine. I just…we should get going. It’s…getting dark.”

“I never worry about that when I have you here to protect me, Rey. You should know that by now.”

Rey laughs, reaching down to the ground to grab her bag and jacket. “I’m flattered.”

“You should be.”

She nudges him in the arm as they start to walk away, playfully rolling her eyes. Rey wants to put her arm around him, and the urge takes her by surprise; instead, she just gingerly joins their hands, entwining their fingers together.

Finn looks down at their hands. He smiles. She squeezes, and he squeezes back.

* * *

_Hey, why are you awake?_

Rey finds herself smiling at her laptop in the darkness of her small bedroom. It’s 1.30a.m., and she’s sitting up in bed, blanket wrapped around her shoulders, headphones sitting firmly inside her ears. Working on an essay, she has Facebook open in the background, and when she sees Finn’s name pop up on her messages, she can’t help but smile.

_Can’t sleep_ , she types back, deciding not to tell him it’s entirely because of her foster father. _How about you? It’s Sunday. You should be sleeping before school tomorrow!_

**Finn _:_** _I could say the same for you;)_

**Rey:** _I don’t have college tomorrow. But I am working on an essay as we speak, if you must know. And don’t avoid the question – why can’t you sleep!? :)_

**Finn:** _Just can’t. It happens sometimes. :(_

**Rey:** _Me too :(_

**Finn:** _What’s your essay about? Anything exciting?_

**Rey:** _It’s one of the most boring things I’ve ever written about. “Mechanics Through History.”_

**Finn:** _I forget you’re a whizz with machinery :P_

**Rey:** _Haha, I’m really not, but thanks :P_

**Finn:** _I couldn’t even fix a flat on a car, Rey, so I think you’re the winner here_

Rey is smiling like an idiot at her laptop screen, but it’s the middle of the night, and she’s really tired and her head is blurry, and she can’t find any willpower to care that she might look ridiculous.

**Rey:** _Hehe :P What do I win?! :P_

**Finn:** _Hmm… Coffee on Tuesday night?_

**Rey:** _With you?_

**Finn:** _No, Rey, I was just going to send you out to get coffee on your own :P yes, I meant with me ;)_

**Rey:** _Enough with the sarcasm ;)_

**Finn:** _:P_ _Is that a yes, or…?_

**Rey:** _Of course. :)_

They talk for another hour or so, until Rey feels her eyes drooping and she’s slipped halfway down her bed so she’s barely even sitting up anymore, and she knows that she needs to tell Finn she’s falling asleep before she just stops replying all of a sudden. Knowing Finn, he’d either think there was something wrong or he would assume she’s mad at him (he’s done that before, and Rey had to spend the next ten minutes calming him down and telling him that, chill, she’d just gone to get a drink and ended up having to help her foster brother with his homework).

 

And then it’s Tuesday, and Rey is on her way to the coffee shop where her and Finn usually meet. It’s still light out, but it’s after six. The warm evening air is blowing back the tendrils of hair that fall around Rey’s face. Her hair is up in three buns at the back of her head – a style she’s always known how to do, but doesn’t remember who taught her it – and as she pushes the door to the coffee shop open, she smiles when she catches sight of Finn at the back. He’s already sitting at a table, tucked in to a corner away from the rest of the shop.

Smiling, Rey gives him a little wave as she heads towards him.

“Hey, you,” Finn smiles warmly at her.

Rey smiles in return, tucking some hair behind her ear as she sits down opposite him. “Hey.” There are two mugs of coffee sitting on the table in front of him.

He notices her frowning at them and smiles gently, pushing one towards her. “Strong but with a bit of milk, no sugar, right?”

She smiles, looking back up at him. Her eyes linger on his. “Yeah. That’s perfect. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I didn’t know if you’d want anything to eat, but I figured we can always order that in a little while.… Are you hungry?”

Rey smiles sheepishly and nods, looking down as she wraps her hands around the still steaming mug of coffee. “Yeah. A bit.”

“No problem. I’ll get us some cake or something.”

“No, Finn, let me cover it this time,” she reaches out and touches his arm as he stands up, stopping him from moving away. His eyes glance at her hand on his arm before looking at her.

He frowns. “It’s fine, Rey. Really.”

“No,” Rey takes her hand away and reaches in to her bag, pulling out her purse. “Let me. You bought the coffee.” She hands him some cash, enough for at least two cupcakes, and he stares at her.

“Are you sure?”

She nods. “I’m sure.”

“Okay. I’ll be back in a minute.”

When he comes back, he’s holding a plate; two huge cupcakes, with towers of swirled icing, placed on top. In his other hand he’s holding a knife and two forks, and he grins at her as he sits down again.

“I got one chocolate, one vanilla. I figured we could split them. Is that okay?”

“It’s perfect.”

Smiling, Finn takes the knife and cuts the cupcakes in half, and then starts digging in to his half of the vanilla cake.

Rey giggles as he shoves it straight in to his mouth. “I guess you were the hungry one this time.”

He smiles sheepishly through a mouthful of cake. “I like cake.”

“I can see that,” she smiles. “You’ve got icing…well, everywhere.” Gesturing to her own mouth, Rey watches as he swallows his mouthful and reaches for a napkin, sheepishly wiping at his mouth.

“Is it gone?”

“Mostly.”

“Mostly?”

“There’s no point in wiping all of it off if you’re just going to do it again.”

He chuckles, stabbing another piece of his cake. “Fair point.” And then there’s more icing on the corners of his lips, and Rey smirks, shaking her head and looking down.

“Exhibit A.” She says, still smiling.

 

“Have you thought about auditioning for the school?” Finn asks later when they’re walking down the street towards the park. They’re walking slowly with their hands in their pockets, arms brushing against each others’.

“What?” Rey asks, incredulous. “No _way_. I wouldn’t get in!”

“You might,” Finn shrugs. “If you wanted to take beginners dance, all they look for is basic ballet technique and potential. And you’ve definitely got that, Rey.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Rey. You’ve been dancing for less than four months and you’re as good as someone who’s been dancing for two years. You have it in you!”

“I’m not good enough for your school, Finn.”

“Yes you are!”

“And anyway, even if I was, I couldn’t afford it.”

“That’s why they have funding programs. For people like you, in the care system, whose foster parents can’t afford to pay for tuition.”

Rey sighs through her nose and kicks a stone along the path in front of them. She had told Finn a little bit about her home situation; not all the details, but enough for him to know that she’s been shipped from home to home all her life, and her current home isn’t the best of places to live. He doesn’t know quite _how_ bad it is, though; she worried he might call the police or something like that. (It’s definitely something he would do, though – the other day when she let slip that she goes hungry a lot of the time, he got way too concerned for her and started trying to help her find ways out of the care system or offer some of his wages). (She’d assured him she was fine; but, wow, what a sweet guy).

“I guess,” Rey says now, shrugging her shoulders. “But I don’t know if it’d be worth it. I don’t really _want_ a career in dance, you know?”

“Well, why don’t you apply for the evening classes, then? There’s a beginners one that’s on every Monday and Wednesday, and they train you up properly. With real teachers. Not just mere, mediocre students, like me.” He grins playfully at her, and she grins back, shoving her shoulder with his.

“You’re not a mediocre student,” she says, and she actually really means it, “you’re a really good teacher, Finn.”

“Yeah? You think so?”

“I really do.”

“Thank you,” Finn says genuinely. Seeming slightly hesitant, he brings his hand out and slowly takes her hand in his, wrapping his fingers around each of hers. He waits for her reaction.

Rey smiles to herself. She doesn’t look at him, but he looks at her, and he smiles too.

“I guess that means you’ll be sticking with my lessons?” He raises an eyebrow, looking down at her.

She looks up. A smile breaks out on to her lips. “If that’s what you want.”

Finn shakes his head and looks away, a chuckle escaping his lips. “That’s an understatement.”

This is good. And this is just how they like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) it's literally plotless and so cheesy and fluffy, but I hope you like it nonetheless :') all your comments so far have been so wonderful and really inspired me a lot, so thank you! Do let me know what you think again today :)  
> Thank you for reading!   
> Love :* xxx


	4. your eyes are the stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn has a surprise for Rey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been 2 weeks since I last updated, and I'm sorry! But I was in London at an OUAT convention last week (which was a wild mix of emotions), and tbh, a 2 week gap isn't bad for me :'))) I hope you enjoy!

When Rey walks in to the studio on Friday evening, Finn is there, but he’s not dressed like he usually is. He’s casually leaning against the barre, still wearing his shoes and jacket with a backpack hanging off one of his shoulders.

“Hey,” he smiles as she approaches him.

Rey frowns, stepping slowly towards him. She begins to take her jacket off as she stares at him dubiously. “Aren’t you gonna get ready?” She drawls.

Finn grins brightly. “I am,” he pushes himself off the barre and walks towards her. “I have a surprise for you.”

“You’re a fan of surprises, aren’t you?”

He grins again, like he’s proud. “Trust me; this is the best one yet.” Then he reaches his hand out, offering it to her, and Rey takes it gingerly, still looking slightly suspicious. She shrugs her jacket back over her shoulders, and he begins to guide her out of the studio, down the hallways and then out on the street.

“Okay, so for this to be a proper surprise, you’re gonna have to trust me enough to be able to cover your eyes when we turn right in a minute. Otherwise you’re going to know where we’re going.”

“You’re going to blindfold me?”

“No. You can do it yourself. But I’m keeping an eye on you; I don’t trust you to keep your eyes closed by yourself.”

Rey laughs. “I am offended by that notion.”

Finn squeezes her hand, squinting ahead of him in the setting sunlight. “Do you trust me not to walk you in to any poles?”

Rey sighs dramatically, stops walking, and brings her hands up to cover her eyes. “Fine. I trust you.”

Smiling probably way too widely, Finn gently touches her shoulders and starts to walk forward again, guiding Rey along beside him.

“We’re turning right,” he tells her after a moment. And then “watch your step” and “there’s a pole coming up; you might wanna move to your right.”

After another few minutes of walking, Finn stops outside the building he’s about to lead her in to and smiles to himself.

“Okay, we need to walk up the steps, so just take it steady.”

Rey sighs. “You’re going to have to, like, guide my feet.”

“You’ll be _fine_ , Rey. You’re a dancer now. You know where your feet are at.”

She scoffs, but doesn’t say anything.

Finally they reach the top of the steps, and then Finn pulls the front door open, gently guiding her in before him. They walk for a while longer, twisting through hallways that feel small to Rey and passing through doors that Finn has to keep holding open with his feet as they both pass through. Rey won’t let him let go of her shoulders as she walks, so it requires nothing short of contortion for Finn to get through doorways without letting her go.

And then, suddenly, Finn stops walking. He speaks, and his words sound echoed, like they’re in a big hall.

“And…open your eyes!” He grins. Rey frowns curiously, slowly taking her hands off of her eyes. One eye opens dubiously, looking first at Finn to make sure he’s still there.

It only takes her a moment after both her eyes have opened to realise that they’re somewhere she’s never been in her life. Somewhere she’s only ever seen from a distance.

Looking around, Rey’s mouth drops open slightly, and her eyes shine in awe.

Finn’s taken her to the theatre. Not just any theatre; the biggest theatre in the city, and they’re standing there on the stage, the huge, empty auditorium stretching out in front of them. There are what Rey has heard them called as ‘wings’ created with long, black curtains along each side of the stage, and a couple of the stage lights are shining down on to Finn and Rey whilst the lights in the auditorium are dim but on.

“Finn…,” she breathes, still taking it all in. There are balconies up each side of the audience wall, where she imagines royalty might sit if they ever came here; and the seats on the second floor seem to stretch infinitely towards the back of the theatre. “Finn, this is…this is _amazing_ ,”

Finn smiles at the back of her head. She’s still looking around in awe. “I’m glad you like it.”

“How did you _manage_ this?” she sounds shocked, but when she turns back to him, the smile on her lips is so big that all her teeth are on show, and Finn doesn’t think he’s ever seen her looking so radiant.

He shrugs casually. “Perks of being a national academy student. Now come on – let’s dance. On a real stage. It’s what we came here to do, isn’t it?”

“Right now?” Rey asks, incredulous. “Right here? Are we allowed?”

He nods once, and then grins again. “Get your shoes on, Ballerina.”

 

“You don’t have to be nervous,” Finn murmurs minutes later when they’re beginning their dance on stage, no music playing as of yet. She turns around in his arms in to her arabesque, and feels her hands shaking.

“I’m not,” she lies.

“Rey,” as she comes back down from her relevé, Finn lets her go and instead reaches out to take her hands, holding them out in front of her. “You’re shaking. There’s no one here; you don’t need to be nervous.”

“I keep thinking that there are people watching.”

“There aren’t,” he says softly, giving her hands a squeeze. He’s looking her right in the eyes, looking so sure of what he’s saying; so genuine. “It’s just you and me. Like always.”

Rey’s lips release a small smile. “Okay. Let me try again.”

This time, Rey’s nerves gradually leave her, and she lets herself get lost in the way she moves, the way Finn moves, and the way somehow, moving together creates something so beautiful and free and _fun_. Rey never thought she would get to do this, get to _feel_ this; the way the dancers on stages always looked when Rey watched. Free, in control, in a different world. That’s what she feels right now. She feels it every time she dances, but this time, being on stage, it feels different. It feels more real, somehow; it feels real that she can do this now. She knows dance terms that would have confused her months ago; she knows how to turn out from her hips, how to keep her alignment square and her fingers soft. And it feels nice. To have something that’s hers; something that challenges her to be better than she is.

“This is amazing,” Rey says, almost to herself, as she goes in to her developpé right before the end of their dance.

Finn smiles gently. His hands come down to support her waist. “I knew you’d love it.”

Rey smiles too. And then she’s spinning in to his arm again, landing with her chest pressed against his; and they’re both smiling, out of breath. Just looking in to each other’s eyes.

“That looked amazing, Rey,” Finn says softly. Rey feels his breath on her face, and it surprises her that it doesn’t want to make her pull away. “You…you did amazing.”

“Really?” She’s smiling so wide.

“Yes. You can tell how much you love it just by watching you.”

Loosening her grip around his shoulders, Rey steps back just a little, tucking some hair behind her ear. “I do love it.”

“I know.”

Rey smiles at him, looking at his eyes. They just stand there, staring at each other. Smiling like little children. Smiling like they know something no one else knows.

“I’ve never been on a stage before,” Rey says minutes later. “It’s bigger than I expected.”

Finn smiles and looks around. “Yeah. I knew you’d like it here. It’s different than dancing in the studio, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” turning around, Rey heads to the front of the stage and bends down to sit on the edge of it, her legs dangling over the edge and in to the orchestra’s pit. Moments later, Finn sits next to her. “How many seats are in this place?”

“About two thousand, I think. Maybe a little more.”

“Two thousand!?”

“Two thousand.”

“Wow. That’s _insane_. Have you performed here before?”

“Yeah,” Finn shrugs casually, like it’s no big deal at all. “Lots of times. Especially this year; the third and fourth years at the school often get called in to be members of the corps when dancers get injured or sick.”

“You’ve been a part of the Corps de Ballet?”

Finn chuckles. “It’s not as glamorous as it sounds. But yes, I have.”

“You’re, like, _famous_.”

He laughs again, and Rey is grinning, staring at the side of his face. When he laughs like this, his shoulders lift and his head tips back a little, and it makes Rey’s insides go all funny because he looks so beautiful; so _Finn_. She likes to catch him in her gaze when he laughs. It’s one of her favourite things about him.

“Rey,” Finn says a few minutes later, and suddenly it’s like the atmosphere has turned serious, and his words are hesitant.

“Hmm?” Rey hums curiously, looking up at him. Her legs are swinging back and forth gently beneath the stage. Finn isn’t looking at her at first, his jaw clenched and face clouded. But then he screws his eyes shut for a moment before opening them again. He looks at her, and his lips turn in to a tiny smile.

“I’m really glad I met you,” he says, so quietly she can barely hear him.

Rey smiles. That very sentence touches her. No one’s ever said anything like that to her before. No one’s ever _felt_ that for her. “I’m glad I met you too,” she tells him. (He can tell she really means it).

“I like having you as my friend.”

“Me, too.”

Finn’s smile grows. And then, slowly, he reaches out and laces their fingers together. Rey is used to him doing that by now, but she still doesn’t enjoy it any less.

She squeezes his hand. “Can I tell you something?”

Nodding, Finn’s face turns a little more serious. His eyes stay on hers. “Of course.”

“Before I met you, I…,” Rey laughs, but it’s humourless; it’s more of a nervous laugh than anything else. She looks down. “…I’ve never really had a friend before you, Finn. I didn’t think I ever would.”

“Are you serious?” He frowns. “Why would anyone not want to be your friend?”

“No, it’s…it’s not other people that are the problem. It’s always been me; I just never really let anyone close enough to get to know me. I have people I know at school, people I sit with at lunch, and that’s been just fine, but…that’s all they are to me. Just people to sit with or work with. But you…you actually _want_ to see me, and you let me talk to you, and you talk to me like I matter.…”

“You do matter.” Finn says, like it’s instinct.

Rey smiles. She squeezes his hand again. And then, “Basically, I just wanted to tell you that I think of you as my friend. Maybe my…my best friend. And I…I think I trust you.”

Finn’s face splits in to a grin, like that’s the best thing he’s ever heard, and he shuffles a little closer. “I’m so glad to hear you say that, Rey,” he tells her, “I’m just so glad I met you, and like, I see you as my best friend too.… And I know we’ve only known each other for a few months but I really, really care about you,” he’s rambling, but still talking slow enough that Rey can comprehend what he’s saying. He pauses to take a breath. His expression softens, and his voice calms down a little. “I care about you.”

Finn swears he can see tears glistening in Rey’s eyes, but he’s too busy thinking about how beautiful they are to say anything about it.

“You do?”

He nods. Rey feels his thumb begin to smooth along the top of her hand. She smiles at him.

“I care about you, too.”

They’re both smiling now. But Rey looks like she’s about to cry and, when she blinks, a tear falls down on to her cheek.

Finn’s smile fades and he frowns instantly. “Hey,” he says softly, “are you alright? Did I say something wrong?”

“No, no, I’m fine,” Rey assures him, a small smile tugging at her lips as she looks away and wipes her cheek. “It’s just…,” she exhales. Their eyes meet again. And her next words make Finn smile so much that he might start crying, too. “I’m happy.”

Reaching out, Finn brushes another fallen tear away with the back of his finger. He’s hesitant, but when Rey doesn’t stop him, he smiles tentatively. And then suddenly the palm of his hand is resting gently against her cheek, smoothing her thumb with his cheekbone.

“Is this OK?” He asks, his voice low and husky.

Rey nods. For a tiny moment, her eyes come down to his lips, but it’s so quick that it might not have even happened.  “It’s _good_.” She smiles. It’s sudden.

And then she takes him by surprise. Completely and utterly by surprise.

He never thought she would _kiss_ him.

But she does.

She leans in – quickly, like she’s trying to break through a wall of doubt and just _do it_ – and presses her lips to his. Firm but soft together, their lips press directly on to one another’s, and Finn only has a moment to take in that _this is happening_ before she pulls away again.

His eyes had only half closed but, when he fully opens them, he sees the look on her face and he’s not sure what to make of it. Her lips are slightly parted in surprise, and her eyes are wide. Finn’s hand is just hanging in mid air from where it had been on her face just moments ago. He awkwardly brings it down on to his lap, waiting to see what she’s going to do next. For a moment she looks like she might just run away. Or back away from him.

“Sorry, I…,” she starts, but her voice is rough and rasped. She clears her throat. “…I don’t know why I just did that.” Her teeth nervously bite down on her bottom lip.

“You…you don’t need to be sorry, Rey,” Finn eventually manages to say.

“I don’t?”

“No,” he replies. And then, “I wanted you to do that. U—unless you didn’t like it, in which case, you don’t have to do it again—”

“I did like it.” She looks surprised that she’s just said that out loud. And then embarrassed, her cheeks blushing slightly pink.

“You did?” Finn asks, “Because I’ve been wanting to—to kiss you for a while, but I—I didn’t want to do something you weren’t comfortable with, and now that you’ve kissed me I feel like maybe you don’t mind being kissed and I—”

“Finn,” Rey says softly, looking back at him again. He closes his mouth. “Slow down.”

He exhales a nervous laugh and looks down, scrubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “Sorry,” he apologises, “I ramble when I get nervous.”

“I noticed.”

“What I’m trying to say is that I…I like you, Rey. I’ve liked you for a while now but I was kind of…well. I was afraid to tell you, I guess. I didn’t want to ruin what we already have, because our friendship is great, and I don’t ever want to lose that.”

“I don’t, either.”

He looks up at her without moving his head. “You don’t?”

She shakes her head. “No. And, Finn, I…I think I like you too.”

“You do?” Sitting up a little straighter, he tries to resist the smile that wants to spread across his lips.

“Yeah. I like you.”

“I like you, too.”

“You just said that.”

He looks down. “Right. Sorry. I’m…super nervous right now, can you tell?”

Rey giggles softly, and then she shuffles closer to him. Finn feels her hand on his cheek all of a sudden, soft and gentle against his skin. He looks up at her.

“I’m nervous, too,” she admits quietly. “I’ve never really done this sort of thing before.”

“Me neither.”

Rosy red lips smile softly at him. “I’m glad I’m not the only one.”

Finn gazes in to her eyes, his own eyes smiling as if he’s never looked at anything like her before. And then they fall to her lips, taking in the way she licks them nervously and then bites her bottom lip. He realises he wants to kiss her again. (And then realises that he’s leaning closer).

“Finn,” Rey whispers. “Are you going to kiss me?”

He nods, but then asks, “is that okay?”

She smiles gently, letting her hand slide back slightly so her fingertips are just touching the edges of his hair. She leans closer too. “Please do.”

This time, when their lips touch, they’re slightly parted; Rey’s bottom lip being caught by both of Finn’s as they meet. They tilt their heads so noses don’t bump and stay like that for a few moments before pulling away. Their lips part with a light smack.

Finn opens his eyes to see if she’s okay, and she’s smiling, nuzzling her nose in to his and closing her eyes. And then their lips meet again, and Finn brings his hand around to gently sit against her waist, rubbing circles in to the fabric of her top with his thumb.

Rey turns to face him a little more, letting herself kiss him again. They part but only to be reunited once more, this time beginning to move together, lips open; catching each other and then letting go; pushing and pulling, giving and taking. She’s breathing in to his lungs, and she’s so close, like she doesn’t want to be anywhere else, and it’s the best feeling Finn has ever known.

Lightly, he traces his hand up from her waist, over her ribcage and finally up to her face, cupping her jaw line. Rey sighs against him. Finn tries to move closer, but it’s not really possible in the position they’re in. Their lips are gliding over each other’s smoothly. It’s heaven. It’s something neither of them has ever known.

When they pull away, they keep their foreheads close, warm breath brushing against each other’s faces.

Finn searches for something to say; _anything_ to say. But he can’t think of any words other than _I really like kissing you_ or something even worse that would _definitely_ scare her away; something like, _I think I might be in love with you_.

But then Rey’s hand slides down his face, over his neck and comes to sit on his shoulder, and Finn suddenly can’t find any words at all.

Rey pulls away from him. She’s blushing, a small smile tugging at her lips. Finn takes his hand off her face, watching as she goes to brush some hair behind her ear, still looking right at him.

“We should go again,” Rey says quietly after a moment.

“What?”

“The dance. We should do it again.”

“Oh,” Finn feels stupid that he didn’t know what she’d meant. “Right. Yeah. _Yes_ , we should.”

Rey stands up first and holds her hand out for Finn who gladly takes it as he stands up.   
And then they’re dancing again, but this time they just want to keep getting closer and hold each other tighter; and Rey ends up falling over giggling at one point because Finn attempts to give her waist an affectionate squeeze as he supported her, but it just tickles her instead. Finn laughs too, apologising but leaning over to tickle her again.

Neither of them are too sure how, but for some reason, dancing together right now is better than it had been ten minutes ago.

* * *

“Hey, you.”

Rey smiles at him. She puts her bag down by the door and walks over to where he’s standing by the barre. “Hey.”

He’s grinning at her like a little kid in a sweet shop. “I need to ask you something.”

“Go on, then.”

“Well, actually, it’s two things.”

Smirking, Rey starts to take her shoes off. “Intriguing.”

“Firstly…I was wondering if you would mind me using our pas de deux as part of my final project portfolio…? I mean, I  totally understand if not, but it’d be amazing because, well, I’m really proud of it, and I love dancing it with you. But it’s okay if not. You can say no.”

“Well…it's not that I don’t want to,” she starts carefully, “but I just…I don’t think I’m good enough for your portfolio. You need to get a good grade on it, right? I’m not exactly at your standard.”

“Rey. We’ve been over this. And besides, I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t think you were good enough.”

Rey bites down on her lip, putting one hand on the barre. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure I’m sure.”

She smiles. “…What’s the other question?”

“Oh, yeah, that,” Finn looks away, suddenly seeming fidgety. “I was just wondering if you…uh…,” he shakes his head and clears his throat before looking back at her as he attempts to start again. “Rey, I was wondering if you…wanted to go on a real date with me? Tomorrow night?”

Rey’s face lights up and her lips turn in to a big smile. “Really?”

“…Yeah.”

She grins. “I’d love to, Finn.”

“You would?” He seems surprised. She giggles.

“Yes.” Reaching out, Rey takes his hand in hers and leans forward to quickly kiss his cheek.

“ _Awesome_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY for a first date next chapter :D
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please do let me know what you think; your comments make me SO happy, and really inspire me to write more :) Thank you for reading!


	5. i'll know you're mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey really likes Italian food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me so long!

Finn takes her to a restaurant on the outskirts of the city. It’s an Italian place, and the tables are each tucked in little walled booths with their own lamp hanging over the table. Finn and Rey sit opposite each other and, halfway through the main course, Rey’s foot brushes against Finn’s leg completely unintentionally; but he just smiles softly to himself and does the same to her, watching for her reaction. She smiles too, but she’s not looking at him.

“I _love_ Italian food,” Rey says through a mouthful of spaghetti.

Finn chuckles. “I can see that.”

“I would happily live out the rest of my days eating Italian food for every single meal.”

“Really? You like it that much?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Rey practically moans, and Finn laughs even more. She scoops up a little more pasta and puts it in her mouth, closing her eyes as she starts to chew. “Mmmm…,”

“Rey, I think you and that pasta should get a room.”

After swallowing her mouthful, Rey giggles, covering her mouth with her hand. “Sorry. Am I being embarrassing?”

“Not at all,” he smiles. “I have a well developed embarrassment threshold.”

“That’s lucky.”

Finn grins at her, twirling his fork to gather up some spaghetti. He feels the toe of her shoe brush against the back of his leg. This time, he’s sure it’s not an accident.

 

All through the meal, they keep brushing hands each time one of them reaches for their water; or they do this weird eye contact thing where Rey looks up from under her eyelashes, and she gives him this smile, and Finn bites his lip. Or they play with each other’s feet under the table. At one point in between courses, Rey very purposely reaches out and takes a hold of his hand, smoothing her thumb over his skin as they talk.

 

“Can I drive you home?” Finn asks, what must be hours later, as they step out of the restaurant. It’s chilly out; the sky is perfectly clear above them, and there’s a bit of a nip in the wind.

She thinks about turning him down; thinks about saying ‘I’ll be fine, but thank you’. She thinks about her neighbourhood, and how she’s never liked anyone to know where she lives because, well, it’s pretty dire.

But then she sees the way Finn is smiling softly at her, his eyes so gentle that it makes her heart swell inside her chest. She knows Finn. _He_ knows _her_ ; and he’s not going to care if where she lives isn’t exactly Beverly Hills.

Rey smiles, too. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. Is that a yes?”

“Yes. Please.”

Finn looks happy as he reaches out to gently take her hand. She reciprocates more confidently; wrapping her fingers around his and squeezing tightly. They walk down the steps and on to the street, heading towards Finn’s car where it’s parked right at the end of the road.

“Are you warm enough?” Finn asks when they’re halfway there.

“It’s a bit chilly. But I’m fine; we’ll be at your car soon enough.”

“Rey, you’re denying me the chance to do the classic move of offering you my jacket here. Humour me?”

Rey chuckles, knocking her elbow in to him playfully. “If you feel like you really want to do that, then I’m not going to complain.”

Finn let’s go of her hand for a brief moment and they stop walking as he shrugs out of his jacket. It’s a black, smart leather jacket and when he takes it off, Rey realises that underneath he’s wearing a fitted, black, V-neck T-shirt, and he looks even more handsome with just that on. (She hadn’t known that was possible).

Smiling gratefully, Rey accepts the jacket and puts it over her own shoulders, her arms being swallowed up by the long sleeves.

“Thank you.” She says. And she tries to hide the fact that she’s kind of burying her face in to the collar and breathing in the way it smells just like him.

Once they’re in the car, Finn hands Rey his iPod and tells her to put on whatever music she wants as he pulls out of the parking space.

“I had no idea you were such a Taylor Swift fan.” Rey smirks, scrolling through what appears to be every single Taylor Swift album and song that was ever made.

Finn smiles sheepishly. “Ah, darn it, I didn’t plan on revealing that to you so soon. Just as you were starting to like me.”

Chuckling, Rey presses play and ‘today was a fairytale’ starts playing through the speakers. “Hey, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. I like a guy who likes Taylor Swift as much as I do.”

Minutes later, when the car comes to a stop at a red light, Finn’s hand settles on the gear stick for a moment as they wait. Rey reaches out, gently brushing her fingertips over his knuckles before pulling away again. She looks up at him to see him smiling softly at the road ahead of him, and she smiles, too, because he’s so beautiful; he’s beautiful in every way, and she feels a _lot_ for him.

She keeps looking at him. Takes in the way his jaw is shaped, the way he licks his bottom lip every few minutes, and the way his chin is just perfectly squared. He’s humming along to the song that’s playing, and Rey can see his Adam’s apple bob up and down every time he swallows.

She decides that, one day, she wants to kiss him there. And she wants to kiss his chin, too; right on the bit of skin between his chin and his lips.

Finn glances over at her when they reach the next set of traffic lights, and he smirks curiously. “What?” He asks, eyes back on the road again.

“Nothing,” Rey looks away instantly.

“…You were staring at me.”

“You can’t prove that.”

Finn grins, a chuckle escaping his lips, and Rey looks up at him again. She smiles. There are crinkles around his eyes. He looks contented. Happy.

Reaching out again, her hand sits on top of his where it’s settled on the gears, and she smoothes her thumb back and forth over his knuckles. This time, she doesn’t pull away. Just bites her lip and smiles when he glances at her.

“Rey, if you want me to drive safely, you’re gonna have to stop distracting me like this.” He says, but he’s smirking, and Rey grins.

“Sorry,” she looks away, sheepishly pulling her lips together.

“If I could drive one-handed, I really wouldn’t mind you doing that. In fact, I might encourage it.”

“Shame you don’t have an automatic car.”

“I’m thinking of saving up for one, now you mention it. That way, I can hold your hand much more than this. Pretty much as often as I want.”

Rey grins, shaking her head, almost to herself, and Finn glances at her again. He frowns confusedly at the shake of her head.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Rey’s still smiling; still moving her head back and forth. “Nothing.” But what it really is, is that she can’t believe how much she _likes_ this boy. More than that, even.

 

They get to Rey’s house after another half hour or so. Finn turns the ignition and the engine shudders to a stop, cutting off the music too. It’s just silent in here now, and they’re a few metres away from any street lights, so from outside the car must look empty, but they can still see each other just enough.

“I had a really great time tonight,” Rey says, turning her head to face him.

He grins, looking at her with that familiar sparkle in his eyes. “Me, too. Honestly, I think it’s one of the best nights I’ve ever had.”

Rey grins too. Reaching out, she takes his hand properly this time and squeezes. He squeezes back. He looks like he’s smiling, but his lips aren’t turned up at the corners; it takes Rey a few moments to realise that it’s because his eyes are the things that are smiling. And then she realises that he’s leaning closer to her, and she’s leaning closer to him, too.

“Rey, I…,” Finn starts. Her eyes glance down to his lips for a fleeting moment. “I really, really like you.… Even more than that, you know?”

Rey’s lips release a small smile. “I do,” she says. “I do know. I feel the same for you.”

One corner of his lips turns in to a smile and she feels him let go of her hand, only to bring it up to gently touch her face. He uses the backs of his fingertips to brush some hair away, and then his palm settles against her cheek, thumb smoothing back and forth.

Rey shuffles in her position so she’s facing him and can get closer. He does the same. They’re just inches apart now, slowly coming closer, and soon their noses are touching and they’re breathing on each other’s lips. Rey watches his mouth close for a moment as he swallows nervously, and then he licks his bottom lip, and Rey bites hers. (She really, _really_ wants to kiss him).

And then, deciding that they’ve been waiting long enough, Rey closes the distance between them and kisses him, her lips already slightly parted. Returning the kiss straight away, his eyes slowly flutter close with desire. He sighs in to her.

Small hands move up, placing one against Finn’s face and the other on his waist, and Rey shuffles closer. Their mouths are open now and moving against one another; creating little smacking noises as they come together and then meet again. Finn tilts his head in the other direction. It changes things; he can get closer now, and he pushes against her, feeling her push back. Somehow his hands have found their way back in to her hair. His fingers are getting tangled in her brown locks. Rey’s hand is on the side of Finn’s head, ghosting over his short, soft hair, kneading softly against it.

Slowly, Finn traces his tongue over Rey’s bottom lip, and Rey eagerly responds by doing the same to him. And then they’re kissing in every way, with hands in hair and breath getting faster, and tongues meeting in the middle every time they get their closest.

Everything is so warm. They’re so close. So _happy_. Neither of them has ever felt this way before.

Rey pulls her lips away but only because she needs to _breathe_ , and she keeps her face up at his, bringing her hand down to clench his T-shirt in to her fist. They take a moment to breathe, just sitting in silence, still holding so tightly on to each other.

“That was…,” Finn tries to say. His voice is hoarse and rasped.

“Wonderful.” Rey finishes for him, and Finn releases a small smile, breathing out a laugh.

“Yeah. Wonderful.”

Grinning, Finn bumps his nose against hers. And then, a few moments pass, and he says, “I’ll…see you soon?”

“Tomorrow?” Rey asks at the same time as he says ‘soon’. They both laugh and lean in to kiss again, just a peck this time.

“Tomorrow.” Finn agrees.

Rey kisses him one last time and, when she pulls away, she keeps her hands on his face for a lingering moment before leaning down to grab her bag.

“Thank you. For everything, Finn. Not just tonight.”

Finn takes her hand for a moment and smiles. “Right back at you.”

She gives him a final smile and then reluctantly – really, _really_ reluctantly – opens the car door and climbs out. He waits for her to get to her front door, and once it’s open, waves at her, and she waves back.

 

Her cheeks are flushed so pink when she looks in her bedroom mirror, she feels like they might catch fire.

* * *

Nowadays, when they dance, half the time it ends in kisses or giggles or kisses _and_ giggles. It’s kind of hard to concentrate on technique when either one of them is so close they can feel the heat of their skin, or hear breath in their ears.

Rey lets him correct her with his hands now. It doesn’t scare her like it did before; he can touch her knees or her feet or her arms, and it doesn’t bother her—she doesn’t even flinch.

Finn never comes over to Rey’s house, but mainly just because it’s not a nice place to be; but she goes to his place a lot. His parents are workaholics—they’re either out at work or out doing errands _for_ their job, so mostly it’s just the two of them; but it’s nice for Rey to have somewhere else to go.

Sometimes she’ll show up at his door with doughnuts and coffee, or sometimes he’ll wait outside her house and text her, and they’ll go for a walk. Rey doesn’t feel alone anymore. In fact, she pretty much feels like she never will be alone again.

“Hey, love,” Finn’s voice comes through the phone.

“Hey,” Rey says in return, but her voice shakes. Her hands shake, too.

“Are you okay?”

“Um…yes.… I mean, um, no?” Rey stammers. She’s walking fast down her street towards the bus stop, and her words are jittery. “Can I come over?”

“Of course,” Finn answers straight away, like it’s instinct. “What’s wrong?”

Rey gazes up at the bus time table when she reaches it. “The bus is coming in, like, a half hour, so I’ll be with you in an hour.”

“No, you’re not getting the bus. I’ll come get you.”

“No, Finn, it’s fine. I can get the bus.”

She hears him grab his keys. “I’m coming to get you. I can be there in twenty minutes.”

“Finn, _no_ , I—”

“Rey,” he cuts her off, his voice soft. “Can I please come and pick you up?”

Rey bites her lip. She hesitates, and then sighs. “Yes…okay. Please.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

And in less than twenty minutes, Finn speeds to a halt beside the pavement where Rey is standing. He leans over and opens the door for her and she climbs in, wiping away the stray tears on her cheeks in a feeble attempt to stop him from noticing them.

“Rey, what’s wrong?” He asks.

Rey doesn’t say anything; she just closes the door behind her and then leans in to hug him. He reciprocates, wrapping his familiar, strong arms around her body and letting her bury her face in to his neck. It’s not the easiest of things, to hug in a car, but they’re making it work.

He hears her sniff and holds her tighter. “What’s wrong, baby?” He whispers, bringing his hand up to stroke the back of her hair.

“I’ll…I’ll tell you later. Can we just…get out of here?”

Finn nods. Pulling away from her, he wipes at the tears on her cheeks and leans in to leave a soft kiss on her forehead.

As they drive, Finn keeps trying to hold her hand but he has to move it every few minutes on to the gear stick, so instead she holds his arm with her hand, clutching on to it like it’s a lifeline. Occasionally she’ll move to put her palm against his thigh and squeeze fondly.

When they get back to Finn’s house, he takes her in to the living room and offers her a drink. She just shakes her head, wiping more tears away. Finn drops his car keys down on the coffee table and then reaches out, wrapping her in his arms.

She holds him tightly, forehead deeply wrinkled and face pressed in to his neck. He’s warm and strong and _safe_ around her, and it makes her feel at home.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asks in to her ear. He’s stroking down her back in long movements with the tips of his fingers.

“I’m just…sick of it,” she whispers. And then makes a sobbing noise. “I’m sick of _everything_ , Finn. I went home because I’d already had a shit day at work, and then I come home to realise, oh wait, my home is shit too. Plutt was drunk. Charlie and the others were hiding in their rooms. The whole place was a mess, and I was so hungry and already so stressed out that I just couldn’t handle it. I’m so sick of this, Finn. I’m sick of every day being a battle.”

“Shh,” Finn holds her tighter, now stroking her hair softly. “I know. It’s shit. I’m sorry, honey.”

Rey puts her hand on the back of his head, gently moving her fingers over his soft hair.

“Maybe we can get you out of that house,” he suggests, “or maybe you could live in a hotel whilst you find somewhere else to live. Or—or you could stay here with me, if you wanted to, if you’d be comfortable with that. Or we could—”

“Finn,” Rey says, her voice almost just a whisper. She screws her eyes shut and holds him tighter. “For now, just hold me. I don’t need you to fix things right now. I just…I just need you.”

He sighs. “Okay.” Finn holds her even tighter and starts swaying back and forth comfortingly, pressing little kisses to the side of her head and whispering gentle words in her ear. Rey’s breathing gets easier, and she feels herself relax in to him.

He holds her for a little while, just letting her breathe and calm down. “Come on,” gently, he takes her hand and guides her down on to the sofa. “You look exhausted.” He settles down at one end of the couch and lets Rey lie down with her head in his lap, facing away from him, and he brings his hand up to stroke her hair. “We’ll work this out,” Finn promises minutes later. His hand playing with her hair makes her sleepy. He reaches around to the blanket on the table beside the arm of the couch and drapes it over her. “I promise, Rey. We’ll work this out. You deserve better than this, darling. You deserve so much better.”

Rey feels tears sting the backs of her eyes again. She reaches out and touches his thigh, squeezing it before moving to take a hold of his spare hand. She sits it in front of her and kisses the top of it, letting her lips linger there and smoothing her thumb over his skin.

“Finn?” She starts. Her voice is so tentative and small.

“Yeah?”

She kisses his knuckles again. Her lips are so close to his skin when she speaks, he can feel her voice. “I…I love you.”

Finn smiles; ear-to-ear, his eyes lighting up with happiness. He brings her hand up and kisses it in return, his lips pressed against her skin. “I love you too, Rey.”

When their joined hands come back to his lap, she nuzzles her nose against them, and then turns around so she can look at him. He’s smiling, one hand absently stroking over her hair, and she pulls herself up after a moment so she’s sitting in his lap, their faces now level.

Rey pushes her forehead in to his. “Say it again,” she whispers. And sees him grin, wrapping his arms around her body and tugging her in close. She puts her hands on his shoulders, and his lips touch hers; soft and slow.

“I love you,” he whispers, breath blowing against her face. He moves his lips to her cheek and presses a kiss there. “I love you.” Then her neck. “I love you.” Then her earlobe.

She giggles. “That tickles,” she says, smiling. He brings his face out of her neck to look at her, and he’s smiling too, bringing his hand up to brush some hair off her face with the backs of his fingertips.

“Sorry.”

Grinning, Rey cups his neck in her hands. “It’s okay,” her fingers smooth over his hair. “I liked it.… I love you.” She says, and it feels weird, to be able to say something like that. To be able to say those three words that are so _heavy_ with meaning; three words that she feels she can say to him now, like it means nothing and everything at the same time. It means _everything_ , of course. But she can say it so easily, without fear of being laughed at, or fear of him not feeling the same way.

Finn smiles at her like he knows what she’s thinking. He pulls her in even closer and bumps his nose gently against hers. “And I love you too.”

She grins. It’s mischievous. She kisses him, her lips open and soft against his, and only pulls away briefly to say, “I know.”

 

No matter how tough things get, Rey can finally say that she knows – whatever happens – not only will someone be there for her, but _Finn_ will be there for her. He’ll fight for her. He’ll _love_ her. And that’s all she could ever ask for.

(In fact, it’s better than _anything_ she ever asked for).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cheesy ending alert haha
> 
> Ahhhh I absolutely LOVED writing this chapter. Idk why, it was just so much fun :') I really hope you enjoyed it! Sadly, this is gonna be the last chapter :( although I am thinking about writing an epilogue! So it might not be over just yet :')
> 
> Do let me know what you think, and leave Kudos if you enjoyed :) 
> 
> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Love :* xxx

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I'm a dancer but like, I wasn't sure how much terminology to put in or otherwise, so I hope I didn't confuse too much if you're not a dancer:') (this mainly applies to the later chapters tbh). Also I know that Rey's situation with her foster home is probably really unlikely but just go with it :P  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up - hopefully soon - but stay tuned! Thanks for reading:))
> 
> {The title is from "Jupiter" by Katy McAllister} xo


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